


to choose understanding

by Kiri_Kaitou_Clover



Series: A series of choices [5]
Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Zero-One
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Missing Scene, POV Outsider, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26216278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover
Summary: Horobi and Hiden Aruto deal with grief.Humans and Humagears watch in confusion.And then they understand better.
Relationships: Fuwa Isamu & Naki, Hiden Aruto & Izu, Horobi & Jin (Kamen Rider Zero-One)
Series: A series of choices [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899544
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	to choose understanding

**Author's Note:**

> I've been on a roll with these fics. 
> 
> I wrote this one bc I was not satisfied with not seeing the reactions to the fight beyond Isamu, Yaiba, and Gai. 
> 
> It's also another in the "choice" themed fics :D
> 
> POV outsider is mainly for the first part of the fic, but I hope you all enjoy!

_"This is... for the best."_

They all heard it. 

Humagears and humans alike. 

Pausing in their fear and rage to turn and look at the screens showing the fight.

Hiden Aruto, battered and bleeding, the Ark-One driver broken and sparking on the ground, yet standing tall. 

Horobi detransformed, yelling at Hiden Aruto.

_"Why have you stopped fighting?!"_

'What is going on?' they all thought as they watched on, confusion spreading among them. 

'Why had he stopped fighting?' the Humagears wondered. Did Hiden Aruto not want to destroy their kind?

_"No one in the world wouldn't be sad over the loss of a family member,"_ came Hiden Aruto's voice over the speakers.

"Hey... what is he talking about?" was voiced, by both humans and Humagears alike, but no one could tell which voiced it first, within the many crowds of protests in the city.

'What does family have to do with this fight?' they all wondered.

_"Jin was my son! And you took him away from me!"_ They watched Horobi scream. They saw the tears in his eyes. _" Who wouldn't be angry if their family was taken away from them?!"_

Some Humagears remembered Jin, who visited them after Hiden Aruto took back Hiden Intelligence and brought them back. Who asked after them, worried for them and their choices.

When had Horobi begun to see Jin as his son?

What happened to Jin?

Parents in the crowds began wondering, reconsidering, thinking about the children they had left at home, away from the chaos.

Families looked at themselves, at each other, and thought of the graves, of the shrines they had in the small corners of their homes.

As Ikazuchi, no, Raiden listened to the grief filled scream of his friend, and he understood what Horobi meant, what Horobi thought, as he muttered to himself, as the unwanted possibility of Subaru's broken body sprang up in his mind, "Yeah... who wouldn't be angry..."

_"That rage, that sorrow... you of all people should know what that feels!"_

What was this fight even about now?

Was it about humans and Humagears?

Or something else?

_"It's because, you have a heart."_

Why did they feel like they were watching something more personal, than a fight that would trigger a war?

But for some Humagears, those who had gained Singularity, and had met Hiden Aruto personally, they saw the tattered green ribbon in Hiden Aruto's hands... and their hearts dropped.

Where was Secretary Izu?

Why was she not with him? 

_"You also lost your family... and the one who took them from you... was me."_

Was it about revenge?

Or was this about grief?

They continued to watch.

Watch as the leader of metsuboujinrai.net broke down in tears.

Blamed himself for the loss of his son. Voicing his fears of his heart, his feelings.

What had happened between Hiden Aruto and Horobi, for the two to be fighting, with such grief and sorrow?

They watched as Horobi declared his hate for humans, for teaching him to feel.

They watched as Hiden Aruto snapped back, telling him that he could overcome it, now that he understood what it meant to have a heart.

And that really was the answer, wasn't it?

Humans and Humagears looked at each other. Humagears had attained Singularity, with their rage and fear, and yet now, they understood what it meant to have a heart. Humans had once seen Humagears as unable to feel, and yet, they could understand it, Horobi's grief and sorrow was all too human. 

Why were they fighting?

What was the point of fighting each other? 

So everyone watched. 

And hoped for a resolution.

Hoped for peace.

Hoped for understanding.

And smiled, when they both stopped fighting.

* * *

Azu clicked her tongue in annoyance and dissatisfaction as she watched the fight come to an end, ending the broadcast.

Horobi and Hiden Aruto failed to destroy each other. 

Jin had resurfaced, and would soon remove Horobi's reason to fight Hiden Aruto any further.

Looking down into the crowds, instead of the protests, anger, and malice, she saw tears, smiles of relief, and cheers, from both humans and Humagears alike, that the two had lived.

Nothing had gone to plan.

Horobi and Hiden Aruto had not fought for the reasons she had whispered to them. For the reasons Ark had intended for them to fight.

Perhaps Jin was right, that she had indeed misread their malice and the direction of their hate, that she had not seen it, the possibility of the two growing beyond their negativity.

Both had overcome their hate and instead of sparking war, they'd resolved the tensions of both sides.

A miscalculation. 

And perhaps she shouldn't have televised the entire fight. It had the reverse effect to what she had intended thanks to everything Horobi and Hiden Aruto had said to each other.

But no matter. It was not that big of a setback. It would be hard to trigger war like this, but there would always be those unsatisfied by the changes the two would bring in the future. Unsatisfied enough to serve as another of Ark's vessels. 

With that thought, Azu vanished, in order to wait out for another capable of bringing the world to ruin.

* * *

Fuwa Isamu had run straight to the site of the battle the moment the video feed cut off with the battle's resolution. Naki had joined him along the way, the both of them resolved in their feelings to reach there before anyone else could, in case some still resented both Horobi and Hiden Aruto enough to attack them while they were down. 

They both had one last thing to do after all.

To protect them, and bring them home.

When they arrived, they both sighed with relief at what they saw. In the middle of the ruins, Aruto and Horobi sat back to back, their eyes closed in rest and clear exhaustion on their faces. 

"They really came to an understanding by fighting," Isamu laughed. He was relieved, that neither had ran each other to the ground in their grief. "We were worried for nothing, weren't we?"

Naki shrugged, a small smile on their face as they moved to pick up Horobi's damaged body, "Not for nothing. Their fight did cause a surge in protests. But I don't think we should have worried, about their reasons for fighting."

"You think they'll forgive each other?" Isamu asked as he too moved to pick up Aruto's exhausted form and heft him over his shoulders.

"We'll have to wait and see," Naki shook their head. "But with how they chose to understand each other..."

And Isamu understood what Naki meant, even without them speaking.

But for now, they'd have to bring the two fighters home. 

To rest. To recuperate. To mourn in a way that was healthier than blaming each other.

And maybe to have a reunion with one thought lost.

**Author's Note:**

> Some headcanons show up in this fic. 
> 
> Jin visiting reactivated Humagears after Aruto took back control of his company. Like really I like the idea of Jin actively trying to make sure that the Humagears are doing well and getting to know them. It is a bit of a personal touch that I would think he learned from what Aruto did. 
> 
> Also headcanon that despite how short their time was with each other, Isamu and Naki know how each other feel very well and are pretty much in sync with their intentions. 
> 
> Another is that Azu, bc she was a bit too curious, let the broadcast go on a bit too long instead of ending it the moment Aruto and Horobi started yelling at each other about their feelings and thus revealing that no, the fight isn't about starting a Human-Humagear war, but instead working out their feelings of grief and coming to understand each other.
> 
> Either way, this fic is mostly for catharsis. I rewatched the episode to write this and god Horobi and Aruto's grief was so strong and kudos to their actors for pulling off such an emotional performance. I hope I conveyed the feelings of confusion and then understanding from the masses watching well enough.


End file.
